Art students
show promise
By GILLIAN BOLLING
Every year at this time, graduating
tudents in the art school are given the
tion to present a show. Saturday
ight's opening at the Rackham
alleries hummed with the excited
oices of friends, relatives, the proud
rtists themselves and many others
ho came to appreciate the works of
e six artists.
Three large rooms were taken over to
tricity which is often prevalent at
student shows. Is the viewer witnessing
the pinnacle of an artist's career or is
one artist going to become well-known,
his or her youthful art to be eagerly
sought out and sold at future auctions?
Many of these pieces have an un-
processed, undiscovered sharm, giving
us a chance to share in the artist's
growing and learning process.
The only artist to display sculpture,
Wilhelm shows further talent in her
joyful, robust use of color. Employing a
freely bright palette reminiscent of the
Fauvists, her "Sophia No. 1" and
"Reverie" jump off the canvas in a
celebration of life. On the flip side of the
spectrum, Wilhelm's grey-blues and
grey-greens of "Woman in Tux" evoke
an eerie, decadent response through
their use of color.
WILHELM'S other pieces, include
illustrations for children's stories, in-
fused with a childlike charm, also using
joyous colors and lifting the spirits.
However, these childlike qualities have
a tendency to slip into her other works,
such as her self-portrait where she
teeters on the brink of self-conscious
cuteness.
Ellen Bourgan's oil paintings are the
usual stuff of student art shows; they
are massive, splashy, loud and the
meaning extends no deeper than the
paint which sits on the canvas surface.
The confusion they arouse is dull, the
strokes are too free and the overall ef-
fect is a hastily splashed together and
mss-produced mess.
Bourgan fares much better with her
smalled ink and acrylic prints also
using bits of paper in a collage effort.
Her "Celebration" series of whirling
shapes give a feel of swarming motion,
abstract studies with a Japanese
flavor. These and her intaglio prints
appear to be a much more expressive
medium for Bourgan.
THE ARRANGEMENTS of the ar-"
tsits provide interesting comparisons
and the central room works best where
artists Jo Keegstra and Ruta
Daugavietis exhibit a greated degree of
abandon, humor, and personal in-
volvement than the others.
Keegstra relies heavily on
photography in her work. She achieves
Six graduating seniors in the school of Art are currently exhibiting their
works at the Rackham Galleries. Artists oictured left to right are: Amy
Graffin, Ellen Bourgan, Cindy Wilheim, Ruta Daugavietas, Lorie Alcock,
and Jo Keegstra. The show will run through April 7.
resent the varied and vast assortment 6indy Wilhelm shows an innate grasp of
f art works, Since each of the six ar- the human form. She seems more
tists possesses a 'very different style, willing to be imaginative and sensual in
and used several mediums, it is the mediums of bronze and alabaster
necessary to digest the show slowly.. than in her oil paintings. Her sculpture
Each room wisely housed the works of "Unspoken" conveys a message that is
two artists at a time, which helps avoid beyond words. Unconstrained and
confusion. willing to challenge the need for details,
the shapeless form with bowed head is
THE OPENING has a certain elec- immediately poignant, yet undefinable.
vivid effects in overlays of images run
through color Xerox copiers. And she
also uses this technique in her "Wing"
print series which covers one end wall.
Further experimentation is evident
with a group of collographs with
pressed images and varied hues.
Keegstra is not tentative in her
style-she seems to throw herself into
her workm take chances and add a
large dose of her own personality.
Keegstra's photographs are a
pleasure, and it's too bad that more are
not included over some of her prints.
But Keegstra feels that too many ar-
tists show "mediocre" photographs and
she chose to be especially selective. Her
black and white photographs incluIe
one titled "Sunday" where venetian
blinds slash deep cuts of light and
shadow into the image of a couple lying
together. Two others are self-portraits
where the artist simply allowed her
clasped hands to sit in her lap and con-
vey the emotions of her unseen face.
RUTA Daugavietis' ink drawings are
whimsical and fun. "But is it love?" is
inspired, according to the artist, by the
Detroit Free Press Valentine's Day ad
page. The drawing shows row upon row
of hearts and scrawled love messages.
Her large acrylic work entitled "DEP"
also included scribbled messages
playfully sprinkled on the canvas. To
sppreciate her wit, it is necessary to
step close and read the messages, thus
making the art accessible and in-
volving, as in "13 Ways" where the et-
ching features a list of ways to watch a
blackbird.
Amy Graffam's works are of two
distinct types. Her figure studies done
in bold pastel strokes create in-
terestingly imperfect perspectives.
"Leisure" shows a leaning man
relaxing, yet the drawing is active due
to the sketchiness of the lines. Grafam
also shows several simple gouache
collages which appeared constricted
and rather trivial. Among these are
several leaf compositions, simplistic
arrangements of leaves and colored
shapes.
LORI Alcock's art suffers the most
perhaps from being with all the others.
The charm of her minute color studies
with collage effects are dwarfed by the
surrounding multitudes and each sue-
cessive example unfortunately appear
repetitious. They need to be set aside i
their own niche to be appreciated.
Alcock also does still life settings, using
color shadings nicely, but the subject
and arrangements seem a bit tedious.
The opening was enjoyably accom-
panied by a selection of classical and
folk recordings playing softly and ad-
ding to the inviting atmosphere. So,
between now and April 7 take a stroll
through Rackham Galleries and see the
show; it affords one an excellent oppor-
tunity to observe diverse techniques
and varied degrees of expression
through the works of six young artists.
The Michigan Daily-Wednesday, April 2, 1980--Page 7
WHAT IS REAL
CAMPUS LABOR SUPPORT?
PANEL: BRUCE RICHARD, CYNDY SAWYER,
GORDON WEISSMANN, IRENE RHINESMITH
Richard, Sawyer, and Weissmann are former supporters of the
Campus Labor Support Group/Clericals for a Democratic Un-
ion/Organizing Committee for Clericals/Revolutionary Work-
ers Group who will discuss why they broke from rotten cen-
trist politics and joined the Spartacus Youth League.
Meet the SYL candidates for MSA, Richard and Rhinesmith
THURSDAY, APRIL 3-7:30 P.M.
MICHIGAN LEAGUE
ROOM D, E
LSA/MSA FUNDED
FOR MORE INFORMATION CAL,: 994-9313
STUDENTS!
The peer counselors of 77-Guide at
Counseling Services are offering a
FREEWORKSHOP IN
ASSERTIVENESS TRAINING
Assertiveness Training is:
* Learning to speak up for your rights, feelings,
and opinions in a direct and honest manner.
* Learning to distinguish between assertiveness,
non-assertiveness, and aggression.
* Learning how these principles may be applied
to your everyday interactions.
Join other students in a participations-
orien ted small group setting.
Thurs., April 3-7=-9 pm
3100 Michigan Union
" Enrollment limited
" Register in advance by calling 76-Guide or
come to the 76-Guide desk, 1st Floor Michigan Union
Do a Tree
a Favor:
Recycle
Your Daily
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A new punk rock band played at the Star Bar Monday night-no big deal. But it
turns out that 'Gaga and the Trendwoods' are anything but unfamiliar to Ann
Arbor. Some of the finest "old wave" of local musicians like Dick Siegel,'
George Bedard and Carl Hildebrand got together for some tongue-in-cheek fun
behind vocalist Shannon Hurd. Well, we always knew these guys would come
around sooner or later ...
MONDAY: GREEK NIGHT
Frats, Sororities FREE with proper ID
Non-Greeks admitted after 11pm with cover charge
WEDNESDAY: CRAZY DRINK NIGHT
BEER AND DRINK SPECIALS AND BANDS
THURSDAY: BIG PARTY NIGHT
FRIDAYS AND SATURDAYS:
HAPPY HOUR PRICES 8:30-9:30
FREE COVER BETWEEN 8:30-9:00
$1 COVER BETWEEN 9:00-9:30
WEDNESDAY NIGHT:
THETA CHI PARTY
THURSDAY NIGHT:
F. J & D PARTY
Royal Prestige
is seeking students to help supplement its
SummerWork Force!
-- co n .a
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